


one and only you

by yugsyien



Category: GOT7
Genre: Angst, Fluff, High School AU, M/M, Slow Burn, Strangers to Lovers, but hes just an asshole in this, dont get me wrong i love papa tuan, mark has an abusive father, mark is so soft for yugyeom, there needs to be more markgyeom in the world
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-26
Updated: 2018-07-26
Packaged: 2019-06-16 20:02:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15444765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yugsyien/pseuds/yugsyien
Summary: mark tuan's home life wasn't the greatest, and he was constantly looking for other forms of comfort. he never knew that one boy could be the only comfort that he needed.





	one and only you

**Author's Note:**

> hi guys! 
> 
> so i KNOW that i havent updated lebanc in like 10 years and im sOrrY for that,, i totally hit rock bottom when it comes to writing, and i needed to try something else before i got back to that. so i wanted to try my hand at writing something for got7! i love those boys so much and i just saw their concert in houston it was lovely.
> 
> anyway, i love markgyeom and since there aren't really fics for it here, i wanted to write some!! pls enjoy!!
> 
> and if u wanna talk to me about got7, find me on twitter @yugsyien!!

Mark can only take so much of his Wednesday math class. It has been almost an hour of constant equations and formulas, and the entire class looks like they are about to fall asleep. Mark’s hand hurts after the endless note-taking, and the sound of the dismissal bell is almost music to his ears. Mark watches as some students in his class stand and grab their things, while other stay behind to talk to their peers around them. He enjoys seeing everyone go about their daily lives, not having a care in the world. It reminded him of himself.

 

Mark was a quiet guy. He didn’t really bother anyone, only worrying about his schedule and daily life. People reciprocated the feeling, too, as no one bothered him much unless it was to ask him for help on a question. He was known as the _smart_ kid in his grade, which wasn’t far from the truth, to be honest. Most people came to him when they didn’t know what was going on, and that was when most people talked to him. 

 

Mark finishes copying the notes from the board, reminding himself to go over these again when he gets home to make sure he really understands it. He starts to pack of his things, when he looks at the time. It’s a little past 4pm, and he knows that Jinyoung is probably waiting for him in the library already, even though the school day had just got out. Jinyoung had always been very punctual, so he wouldn’t be surprised if he was there before Mark. He hurries and grabs his bag before saying a quick goodbye to his teacher before heading out into the hallway. 

 

The hallway is bustling with people, and even though it’s over halfway through the year, it still overwhelms Mark. Bodies pressing much too close together, loud chattering, people eavesdropping; it makes Mark feel a little uncomfortable. He’d always been one for personal space, unless he was with Jackson — _personal space_ wasn’t a word in that boy’s dictionary. The blonde boy can see people rushing past him, and he makes an effort to walk on the farthest side of the hallway to stay out of everyone’s path. He wonders why everyone is in such a hurry. He remembers hearing on the news that it was supposed to rain today and it could delay the trains, so maybe that’s why. The library isn’t too far away from his math class, so he takes his time walking to his destination.

 

The library is probably the quietest place in the entire school. It’s not because the librarian is strict — in fact, she’s not around most of the time — people just don’t come to the library. It’s almost always empty, except for the library club that shows up every few days to meet. Mark is really grateful for the peace and quiet. He stands in the doorway of the library, his eyes scanning the empty area. The smell of old books and faint window cleaner is in the air, and he finds himself enjoying the smell even though he experiences it almost every day. He looks over to the right, which is the student lounge area of the library, and he can see Jinyoung sitting at one of the tables. The dark haired boy has his notebooks scattered around his area, the end of a pencil in his mouth as he concentrates on whatever subject he’s reading about. Mark makes his way over to the table, careful to not scare the other boy.

 

“Hey,” Mark whispers as he sits down across from Jinyoung. He starts to take out his things before speaking again. “Sorry I’m a little late. People were rushing through the halls after class today. I think the weather is affecting the train schedule.”

 

“I heard that too, actually,” Jinyoung comments. “But it’s fine, hyung, don’t worry about it. I was just working on some English homework,” the raven haired boy explains, before sliding the notebook in the blonde’s direction. “Speaking of which, can you help me?” 

 

Jinyoung always asks for Mark for English help. Mark transferred from LA several years ago, so English had been his first language. He learned Korean in elementary school, but he had always been most comfortable with his native tongue. Mark takes the notebook from Jinyoung and reads over it quickly. It was a translation activity, and the simple English, along with Jinyoung’s handwriting made him smile just a little bit. “This would translate to _last weekend, I took my dog to the park,_ ” Mark tells him in English, pointing at each word as Jinyoung wrote down what Mark had just said.

 

“Thanks,” Jinyoung tells him, giving him a bright smile as he takes his notebook back. “I don’t think I would be able to pass English class without you.”

 

Mark smiles. They meet up and go over homework together in the library almost every day. It has become routine for the both of them, and Mark finds himself looking forward to seeing Jinyoung at the end of every day. The two had been friends for a long time. Jinyoung had probably been one of Mark’s first friends after he transferred from the States, and he helped him improve his Korean, so he thinks that the two have a pretty strong relationship. 

 

After a few hours of working on homework assignments and cracking a few jokes, the library is starting to close. Mark looks at the time, and it’s just after six o'clock. He stands as Jinyoung does, slinging his backpack over his shoulder. He waits for the dark haired boy to collect his things before he begins to walk towards the main doors. The two turn and they bow quickly to the librarian, giving her a quick _thank you_ before they head out. 

 

“Are you taking the train today?” Mark asks Jinyoung as their walking through the now empty halls. The only thing they can hear are their footsteps that echo against the concrete walls, and the soft roar of the rain outside. 

 

“No,” Jinyoung replies to him, taking a quick glance at his phone before shoving it back in his pocket and grabbing the small umbrella that he keeps in his bag. “Jaebeom is picking me up today. He should be waiting for me with his car outside.” The two stop in front of the front doors of their school, and Jinyoung turns to face Mark. “Do you need a ride? The rain’s pretty bad right now.”

 

Mark shakes his head, reaching behind him to grab his own umbrella. “I’ll be fine,” he assures him and opens the main doors. Immediately, the sound of the downpour amplifies, and Mark can feel his ankles getting splashed with the rain water. He looks down to his feet then back at Jinyoung and laughs, before they both open their umbrellas. 

 

The two say their goodbyes before parting ways. The walk from Mark’s school to the train station isn’t long, but the rain makes it a little harder to get there. Mark is grateful for his large hoodie, and it keeps him warm throughout the wet weather. His worn out converse splash on the ground, and he makes a mental note to see how much money he has left to see if he can buy some new shoes. The water is really going to wear them down even more.

 

When he gets to the train station, he closes his umbrella and walks around the small shops that reside near the entrance. He walks over to a small bakery to buy a few hot rolls for dinner. The girl working behind the counter looked to be about his age, maybe a little younger. She looks sleepy, which he’s not surprised by. There aren’t many products inside the case, so Mark suspects the bakery had a busy day with all this rain. He takes the small white bag from the girl and thanks her before heading towards the train tracks. 

 

He scans his t-money card and looks at his balance, making a mental note to add more money sometime during the week. He makes his way down the steps, and the platform is basically empty. Usually only students use this train station, and most went home earlier in the day to beat the rain. He doesn’t mind that, however, and he makes his way towards the vending machine that is in the middle of the platform. He puts a couple of coins into the machine, buying a hot coffee to sip on while he waits for the train to come in. Mark sits on the benches and opens the warm can, taking a sip and letting out a content hum. 

 

The train comes in a few minutes later, and Mark stands as the train comes to a stop. He walks into the train car as the doors open, and he takes a seat in one of the few empty seats. There are quite a few people on the train, probably coming home from work. He puts in his earbuds after he gets himself situated, playing his favorite playlist as he watches the rainy landscape go by.

 

»»—————————————««

 

Mark doesn’t realize how late it is when he gets off on his stop. He checks the time, and it’s already half passed seven. He panics a little. He told his dad that he’d be back by seven o'clock, and now he’s late. He quickly makes his way through the train station, throwing away his bag from the bakery from earlier. He heads out of the train station, glad that the rain had finally lightened up a little so he could run through without his umbrella. Luckily, the way home isn’t too far and he should get there within fifteen minutes.

 

When he walks into the front door of his apartment, the lights are all off. Mark sighs in relief, and he closes the door softly. He starts to toe off his shoes when the lights come on without warning. Mark shuts his eyes and inhales through his teeth, the light burning them just a little. He looks up, seeing his dad standing in the middle of the kitchen doorway. He has a surprised, yet disappointed look on his face.

 

“Dad,” Mark breathes, closing the front door and drops his bag on the ground. “Hi,” he says, giving his dad a nervous smile.

 

“You’re late,” his father responds. “You told me you’d be home by seven. It’s almost eight.” Mark’s father takes a few steps forward, which causes Mark to step back.

 

“I know,” Mark tries to explain. “The weather made the trains late. The rain made everyone really reckless with how bad it was.” Mark steps back until his back is against the door, and he lets out a breath. “I’m sorry, Dad.”

 

Mark’s father grabs onto the blonde boy’s wrists, holding onto them tightly. “Do you think I’m stupid, Mark? I know when you’re lying to me, and you’re not doing a very good job of keeping it hidden.” He tightens his grip on Mark’s small wrists, and the younger can feel his pulse against his father’s fingers.

 

“I-I’m not lying,” Mark stutters. “The rain was really bad, can’t you see it outside?” The boy winces when his father pulls him into the center of the room, and he ends up hitting his arm on the kitchen counter. “Dad, please, I’m sorry,” he tried again, hoping that it would work this time. Mark didn’t know why he tried to reason with his dad, really. He had always been very forceful, not really realizing his strength. 

 

His father lets go of Mark’s wrists after a few minutes, swearing under his breath before retreating to his room. Mark exhales shakily as he tries to comprehend that just happened, almost going on autopilot to grab his bag and make his way to his own room. The only thing he knows is that there will be bruises all over his wrists tomorrow. 

 

»»—————————————««

 

Thursdays are probably Mark’s least favorite day, but they are usually the ones that pass the fastest. Most of his classes are science based on this day, and it was a subject that he was never great at. In addition to that, his meetings with Jinyoung are cut short as his boyfriend usually steals him away from the library early. 

 

This time, Mark is waiting for Jinyoung to come to the library. He has his head buried in a chemistry book, trying to understand positive and negative ions. He should honestly text Jackson about it — he was always the best at science — but he decides not to. He twirls his pencil in his fingers for a moment before standing, walking towards one of the shelves that was littered with books. He looks at one of the many chemistry books that lived on the shelves, hoping that an explanation from a different textbook would help him understand just a little better. 

 

When he comes back to the table, Jinyoung is just making himself comfortable in one of the seats. Mark places the book down on the wooden table, one of the sleeves of his hoodie riding up slightly. Mark doesn’t notice, but Jinyoung does. The dark haired boy grabs onto Mark’s sleeve.

 

“What happened?” Jinyoung asks.

 

Mark lets out a quiet noise. He knew Jinyoung was going to ask sooner or later, but he was hoping that it wouldn’t be now. Mark sits down in his chair and pulls his sleeves down a little more, holding the ends with his fingers. 

 

“My dad,” Mark tells him. He feels like he tells Jinyoung about this a lot, which isn’t far from the truth. Jinyoung was one of the only people that knew about Mark’s abusive father, and Mark would like to keep it that way. Jinyoung found out when Mark took off his hoodie one day before gym class, and the darker haired boy could see a hand shaped bruise on his forearm and neck. Since then, Jinyoung has always known, and he always tries to look over Mark and make sure he’s okay. 

 

A frown paints Jinyoung’s face, and Mark continues. “I got home late last night. I got back to my apartment almost an hour after I told my dad I would be there.” Jinyoung pats Mark’s shoulder just a little, which comforts the blonde boy in a way.

 

“I’m sorry,” Jinyoung tells him after a few moments of silence. “You can’t keep letting him do that to you, hyung. You’re not just some toy, you know that.” 

 

Mark’s about to respond to him when someone comes through the main doors of the library. Mark quickly fidgets in his seat, opening the book he brought to the table earlier to look at. He looks up to see who walked into the door, though he already has a good idea of who it is.

 

Jaebeom walks towards their table, standing on the other side of Jinyoung. Mark had met him a few times before, but they weren’t too close. He knew that he and Jinyoung were dating, but he didn’t know much about the other boy. 

 

“Hey,” Jaebeom says, though its mostly towards his boyfriend. Mark didn’t mind — he knew that Jinyoung was happy with the other boy, he would talk about him all the time. “I’m on my way to the dance room. Are you coming to the practice today?”

 

Jinyoung nods. He never unpacked his things, knowing that Jaebeom would be coming to pick him up at the library. Jinyoung’s about to get up and say goodbye to Mark before turns to face the blonde boy. “Actually, Mark, do you want to come along?” Jinyoung asks. “You’ve seemed stressed lately. I think it would help take your mind off things.” 

 

Mark raises his eyebrows. _So that’s where Jaebeom always takes Jinyoung,_ he thinks. The suggestion for Mark to tag along stirs something inside of him. He wants to say no, but he finds himself nodding against his will. When he sees Jinyoung’s smile, he decides that if it makes his friend happy, he’ll do it. Mark begins to pack up his things. He feels bad for leaving the large chemistry textbook that he grabbed from earlier sitting on the table, but he knows that it’ll give the librarian something to do besides sit behind her desk all day.

 

Mark trails behind the couple as they walk across the school’s campus. He would be lying if he said he didn’t have just a little feelings for Jinyoung when he first met the boy, but those feelings quickly dissipated as they became closer. Mark didn’t really mind, though. He has always had a little bit of trust issues, and getting close to other people was always a struggle for the blonde boy.

 

However, he knows how happy the other boy is with his current boyfriend. Jinyoung isn’t one to talk about Jaebeom a lot, but when he does, he talks about him like he puts the stars in the sky, and it makes Mark warm on the inside.

 

Mark is stuck in his own thoughts for so long, he doesn’t even realize they’ve already walked to the other side of campus and are standing in front of the student activities building. He blinks as he looks at the sheer size of it. He had never been to this building before, and he would be lying if he said he wasn’t a little overwhelmed. He’s so busy admiring how big the place is, he almost doesn’t notice Jinyoung and Jaebeom walking into the building without him. He shakes himself out of his thoughts and quickly catches up with them — he’s already lost as it is.

 

They travel down a few more winding hallways, various types of music coming from behind closed doors. Mark can hear some people talking, as well as energetic students running up and down the halls. It seems fun in this building, but Mark doesn’t know if it’s really his style. He was never really a social butterfly. Even so, he had always been able to find one friend that he was able to connect with — if it wasn’t Jackson, that is. Jackson had always been at Mark’s side, ever since grade school when he transferred to America from Hong Kong. They’ve been inseparable since.

 

Mark follows Jinyoung and Jaebeom turn a quick corner and enter one of the large dance rooms inside of the building. Immediately, there’s music that is blasting through the open door and Mark almost covers his ears. Jinyoung motions Mark inside when he sees him just standing in the doorway, almost unable to walk inside. 

 

Mark doesn’t know what to expect when he steps inside, but it’s definitely not what he sees. There are five other boys inside the room, three joking in the corner of the room and another practicing by himself in the center of the room. It looked like a lively environment, but he’s still skeptical about being there. However, Mark doesn’t expect how relaxed everything seems at the same time _._

 

“Mark!”

 

Mark turns his head into the direction of the voice, seeing another figure running towards him. The other tackles him in a hug, and Mark almost stumbles backwards. Mark’s about to say something along the lines of ‘please get off of me’ when he really gets a good look of who tackled him. 

 

“Jackson?” Mark asks, surprised. He pulls away from the other boy, who gives him a bright smile. “I didn’t know you were on the dance team,” he continues, straightening out the front of his hoodie. The music around them suddenly turns down in volume a little bit.

 

Jackson lets out a loud laugh. “I’ve been on it for a while. You never seemed interested, so I just never mentioned it,” the boy explains, and the shocked expression he gets from Mark makes him laugh even more. “I was just kidding.” He leads Mark farther into the dance room by the shoulders, wrapping an arm around them as he brings him to the front of the room. 

 

“Everyone,” Jackson starts. “This is Mark, my greatest and longest friend,” he says, before adding. “Sorry, Bam.”

 

Mark turns his head. _Bambam is here too?_ he thinks, and sure enough, there he is, standing right in the middle of the room his a pained expression on his face. Mark had known the Thai boy for a while, since him, Jackson, and Mark had all been foreign transfer students. The other two boys were much louder and more outgoing than Mark, so he never really went out to hang with them often.

 

“Hi Mark-hyung,” Bambam says, though he’s still frowning at Jackson.

 

“Mark-hyung’s going to be joining Jinyoung in watching us today,” Jaebeom explains. There are noises of affirmation that come from the rest of the members in the club, and Jaebeom continues. “Mark-hyung, you already know me, Jackson, and Bambam. The other members are Youngjae and Yugyeom. You’ll probably be able to talk to them later.”

 

Mark smiles and nods to the members he was just introduced to, before getting pulled over to the side by Jinyoung. Jaebeom is saying something about going over choreography, and Mark sits back on one of the raised platforms of the room. 

 

“So, this is where you come to every Thursday?” Mark asks Jinyoung, taking out one of his notebooks in his bag to do homework.

 

“Yeah,” Jinyoung answers. “They’re really good. They’ve been practicing for a while now, and I always come with Jaebeom to support,” the dark haired boy explains. “Apparently, they have a big competition coming up soon, and they’re getting ready to have some pretty intense practices in the next few weeks. You should keep coming, I think you’d like it here.”

 

Mark doesn’t really know how to respond to Jinyoung’s offer. He twiddles with the notebook in his hand, thumbing through the pages every few seconds. Suddenly, the music starts to play around them. It’s a pretty slow, chill beat, and _is that breathing in the background?_

 

Suddenly, the group starts dancing, and Mark finds himself unable to look away from them. Specifically, the boy dancing in the middle of the group. He doesn’t understand why, to be honest. They’re all wearing pretty simple outfits, but the one in the middle — the one with the black mop of hair — has something different about him. He’s wearing a black t-shirt tucked into his black skinny jeans, along with a simple necklace that he can’t put his finger on what is hanging on the end of the skinny chain. The clothes against the boy’s skin tone make him beautifully pale. 

 

Mark’s eyes follow the other boy’s movements, before they rest on his face. Mark looks over the soft features of the boy’s face. His slightly chubby cheeks, his curved nose, and his almond shaped eyes (that he’s _sure_ that has a little bit of eyeliner on them) are endearing to him, and Mark can’t bring himself to look away. Even when there’s four other boys dancing around him.

 

Mark reaches over and tugs at Jinyoung’s sleeve, who is reading a book that he borrowed from the library a few weeks ago. “Jinyoung,” Mark whisper-yells over the music. “Who’s the one in the middle?”

 

Jinyoung looks up from his book to see who Mark is talking about, before he lets out a soft chuckle. “The really tall one? That’s Yugyeom. I think he’s the youngest of all of us, but he’s the best dancer out of the team,” Jinyoung explains. “But he wouldn’t say that about himself.”

 

Mark lets out a noise. He looks back at the taller boy, and he has a hard time believing that the broad chested, sandy haired boy is the youngest out of everyone in the room. As the song continues and the group keeps dancing, Mark just keeps his eyes on Yugyeom. He almost chokes when he and Yugyeom make eye contact, and Mark averts his eyes quickly and feels his cheeks heat up. Jinyoung notices and he nudges him a little.

 

“You’re staring, hyung,” Jinyoung tells him. Mark shakes his head quickly. 

 

“I was _not_ ,” Mark says, his voice slightly raising in pitch. That was a habit that Mark had exhibited when he lies, and he was never a good liar. There’s a moment of silence between them before Mark sighs. “Okay, maybe I was. But he’s just a good dancer,” Mark defends.

 

“Right,” Jinyoung says, but he has a sneaking suspicion that there’s something else. 

 

The dance team practices for another hour or so, and Mark finds himself practically staring at Yugyeom the whole time. He was supposed to do homework, but he couldn’t find it in himself to look away from the taller boy. They would lock eyes a couple times, and every time Mark would look away with a slight blush.

 

When the dance practice ends, Mark watches as Yugyeom leaves after saying goodbye to the rest of the dancers. Mark doesn’t want to admit it, but he does feel slightly empty that the taller boy didn’t come over to say goodbye. What is he even thinking — Yugyeom didn’t even know his name, there was no way that he would talk to him.

 

Jinyoung comes over to Mark after talking with Jaebeom, asking him if he wants to catch a ride home with them. Mark actually agrees this time, since he doesn’t want to go through what happened yesterday again. He’s thankful for Jinyoung, the slightly younger boy had always been looking out for him.

 

As the three leave the dance room and make their way back to the main campus of the school, Mark can’t take his mind off of Yugyeom and the effect that he had left on Mark. 

 

Thursday’s suddenly become Mark’s favorite day of the week.

 

»»—————————————««

 

The next week passes by like a blur. Mark ended up catching a bad stomach bug on Sunday, so he took offMonday and Tuesday so he could recover. On Wednesday, when he returned, he was drowning in piles of missed assignments and lectures. Mark’s high levels of stress caused him to check out of reality a bit, his head turning with how many papers he needed to write, or how many pages of notes he’s need to take by the end of the week. 

 

Mark’s mind is so fogged, he’s basically working on autopilot. It’s the end of the day on Wednesday, and he’s just walking out of his math class. He’s making his way towards the library, his head buried in his history textbook when he hums into someone from behind.

 

There’s a quiet grunt from Mark, and a high pitched yelp from the other person, and both parties fall in the middle of the hallway. Mark looks up to see who he bumped into, apologies about to spew out of his mouth, when he sees a tall boy with a large frame and a head of black hair. His heart almost skips a beat when him and Yugyeom make eye contact.

 

“I’m so sorry,” Mark says, the words just tumbling out of his mouth. He begins to stand up and gather his thinks when Yugyeom picks up the large textbook for him. 

 

“It’s okay,” Yugyeom assures him, brushing off his pants. He finally looks the shorter boy in the eye before his eyebrows raise. “Oh, it’s you. You’re the one who was our dance practice last week,” the taller boy says.

 

Mark can’t help but feel a tiny bit embarrassed. He nods, “Yeah, that was me. I’m good friends with Jinyoung and he wanted me to come sit in,” Mark explains, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. He realizes that the both of them are still standing in the middle of the hallway, so Mark decides that the two should stand on the side of the crowded hallway.

 

Yugyeom hands Mark his textbook before he speaks again. He holds out his hand. “My name’s Kim Yugyeom,” he introduces himself.

 

Something about the way that Yugyeom introduces himself makes Mark’s heart rate pick up, yet he can’t put his finger on what it is. Mark reaches forward and takes the taller boy’s hand, and he doesn’t miss how Yugyeom’s large hand practically envelops his own delicate ones. “I know,” Mark says. “Jinyoung was telling me about you. Your dancing is really good,” Mark adds, feeling his cheeks start to heat up. The two hold eye contact for a moment before Mark realizes that he hadn’t even introduced himself. “Uh— I’m Mark. Mark Tuan.”

 

Yugyeom smiles, and Mark thinks that it’s one of the most adorable things he has ever seen. “Where are you going in such a hurry?” Yugyeom asks, taking his hand out of Mark’s grip and putting his hands in his pockets. 

 

“I’m headed to the library,” Mark explains, and he can’t keeps his eyes off of the taller boy. “I missed the last two days of school, and now I’m drowning in homework and stress.” Mark laughs it off, but he knows it’s true. “I didn’t mean to bump into you, I had my face buried into my book. I hope I didn’t hurt you or anything.”

 

Yugyeom lets out a high pitched laugh and his smile grows even wider — scratch that, _that’s_ the most adorable thing Mark has ever seen. “You didn’t,” Yugyeom tells him, waving his hand a little bit. “Don’t worry about it. I’m actually headed in the direction of the library. I can walk you there, if you want,” Yugyeom offers.

 

Mark can feel his heart warm at the offer. “Sure, thanks,” Mark says, giving the taller a big smile, sharp teeth and all. Yugyeom smiles back, and Mark feels content. 

 

Mark tightens his grip on his backpack straps as the two walk down the the hallway. Yugyeom is talking about something, but Mark isn’t really listening. Not that he doesn’t want to, of course. He was never realty talkative to begin with, but right now, he’s so occupied watching Yugyeom’s movements. The length of his stride, the the way his lips jut slightly out when he speaks. 

 

When the two arrive at the library, the taller boy stops in front of Mark. “Well, this is your stop,” Yugyeom tells him, looking in through the doors and seeing Jinyoung sitting at one of the small tables. “Jinyoung-hyung’s already there.” 

 

Mark smiles at Yugyeom, getting a tighter grip on his textbook. “Thank you for walking me, Yugyeom. You didn’t have to do that,” Mark says to him, rocking on his heels slightly. “I was the one who bumped into you, anyway.”

 

Yugyeom shakes his head, “It’s really no big deal, hyung. I don’t mind.” Yugyeom gives him another smile before he takes a step back. “I hope you can come to another dance practice. We can talk more then,” Yugyeom promises.

 

Mark nods, “I’ll be at the next one,” he tells the dark haired boy. The two exchange their goodbyes and Mark watches as the taller boy heads further down the hall. Mark stands in the middle of the library doors until he can’t see Yugyeom anymore before walking into the large library to meet Jinyoung.

 

“Sorry I’m late, Jinyoungie,” Mark apologizes, sitting down across the raven haired boy. “I was so stressed out while I was walking over here, I bumped into Yugyeom and it was kind of awkward,” Mark explains, nervous laugher bubbling from his lips. 

 

“I noticed,” Jinyoung responds. “I saw him standing in the doorway. You couldn’t take your eyes off of him,” he adds, a playful smirk tugging at his lips.

 

Mark feels his face heat up for the nth time today. “I was _not_ staring, Jinyoung,” he defends. When Jinyoung rolls his eyes, Mark lets out a loud sigh before continuing. “Okay, maybe I was watching him, okay? He’s just—interesting to me,” Mark justifies. 

 

Jinyoung nods, closing the book in front of him and pushing it aside before resting his head in his hands. He raises an eyebrow at Mark. “Well,” he starts. When Mark doesn’t continue, he groans. “What do you think of Yugyeom?”

 

Mark doesn’t know what to say, and he looks away to avoid Jinyoung’s gaze. This is the first time he even talked to Yugyeom, and Mark had to bump into him first to even get to that point. Sure, the boy was breathtaking, and every time Mark looked at him he wouldn’t be able to stop looking, but that didn’t mean anything.

 

Right?

 

“I don’t know,” Mark finally says. “He’s nice, He has a cute laugh and a nice smile, and he’s pretty attractive, but—“ Mark cuts himself off, shaking his head. “A lot of people are like that, aren’t they?”

 

Jinyoung smiles, finding the way that Mark got flustered to be amusing. “It sounds like you have a crush to me,” he tells Mark, and when he sees his eyes widen to almost twice their original size, he laughs.

 

“I don’t have a _crush_ on Yugyeom, I barely know him.” Mark says, and he sounds so certain before he talks again. “Well, I mean, I don’t really know, actually,” Mark admits. When he sees the smug look on Jinyoung face, he tosses one of the pens on the table to his face. “Yah, I have so much work to do. Stop talking to me about Yugyeom and help me,” he demands.

 

Jinyoung laughs, putting his hands up in defeat. “Yes, yes, okay,” Jinyoung agrees, leaning over to help the other boy with his pile of homework. 

 

»»—————————————««

 

Jinyoung had cancelled his and Mark’s plans on Thursday morning. It was kind of a bummer that they wouldn’t be able to hang out today, but Mark doesn’t mind too much. He still has a bit of work to catch up on, but most of it was taken care of thanks to Jinyoung’s help the previous day. 

 

Mark was headed to his last class of the day, which was his chemistry class. He usually had a hard tine in this class, but Jackson was in his class, so he was aways there to help Mark if he needed it. When he walks inside, the notices that the teacher isn’t there yet, so class isn’t going to start for another five minutes or so. 

 

Mark makes his way to the back of the classroom, where he sees Jackson talking to one of the other girls in their class. Jackson was always really talkative and friendly, and sometimes Mark envied that about him. He takes a seat next to him, and Jackson immediately focuses his attention on the blonde.

 

“Hey Markipoo,” Jackson says, singing the pet name. “There’s supposed to be a lab today, but I think we might have to postpone it,” Jackson starts explaining. “Hyejin just told me that our teacher just went home, family emergency or something like that.”

 

Mark nods. The idea of an emergency is awful, of course, but it gives Mark a chance to catch up on more of his missed assignments. “Well, that’s good, I guess,” Mark responds. “Are we going to have a sub today?” 

 

Jackson shrugs, going back to talk to the girl next to him. Mark takes out his chemistry notebook, which is battered and worn out from the constant use. He thinks he should get another one, but then all of his notes would be gone, and Mark really doesn’t feel like rewriting them on another notebook. He’ll have to deal with it for now. 

 

Mark looks up when he hears the classroom door open. He expects to see their substitute teacher walk in and start explaining what their task for the day is, but he almost chokes on his own breath when he sees who actually walks through the door. 

 

Yugyeom is standing in the doorway, his tall frame making it easy for Mark to identify him with only that alone. Mark turns to Jackson quickly, shaking the other boy to get his attention. “Jacks,” Mark starts, pointing towards the door of the classroom. “Yugyeom is in this class?” He whispers loudly to his Chinese friend. 

 

Jackson looks over at Mark, before following his finger to the direction of the door. “Oh, yeah, he’s been in this class the whole year,” Jackson says like it’s no big deal. Mark almost hits him with how he responds, but he lets him be.

 

Yugyeom begins to walk into the classroom, and _holy shit he’s coming over here_ is the only thing that is running through Mark’s mind. Yugyeom and Mark end up making eye contact, and the taller boy gives Mark the cutest smile and wave and Mark doesn’t think he can handle it.

 

“Hi, hyung,” Yugyeom says to him as he takes the seat on the right side of Mark. “I didn’t know you were in this class,” he continues, situating himself on the stool. For his height, Mark finds it a little odd that the black haired boy’s feet don’t touch the ground. 

 

“I could say the same about you,” Mark responds, turning on his stool to face the other boy. “I don’t even know how I didn’t notice you.” Mark shakes his head afterwards, “Actually, yes I do. I don’t really talk to people much in this class because I’m always _so_ confused.”

 

Yugyeom laughs. “I’m guessing science isn’t your best subject, huh hyung?” When Mark nods, Yugyeom continues talking. “I’ve been pretty good in this class. I could help you, if you want,” Yugyeom offers.

 

Mark is about to decline the offer, because he doesn’t know if he’d be able to handle a one-on-one tutoring session from the taller boy, but the classroom door opens and he ends up nodding against his will while he’s distracted. Mark doesn’t regret it too much because the smile that shows up on Yugyeom’s face is too cute.

 

»»—————————————««

 

Jinyoung doesn’t take Mark to dance practice today, so he tags along with Jackson and Yugyeom after class. The walk is a lot less eventful this time around, since he’s walked down this path last week with Jinyoung and Jaebeom. However, Yugyeom’s presence is what’s capturing the blonde’s attention. 

 

The dance room doesn’t seem too lively today. Jaebeom is sitting on one of the elevated platforms, Jinyoung behind him rubbing at his shoulders. Mark can see his lips moving, but he can’t make out what the other boy is saying. Youngjae is sitting on the ground with Bambam, cards divided into piles in front of them. 

 

When the three stand in the doorway, Jaebeom looks up and stands, shaking off his boyfriend’s hand from his shoulders. “Glad you guys could make it,” he says.

 

Mark looks confused as the two dancers he arrived with walk further into the practice room. “What’s going on?” Mark asks, dropping his bag near the doorway. He walks over to Jinyoung, replacing Jaebeom’s spot as he moves to the middle of the room.

 

“They’re having an important meeting today, I think,” Jinyoung answers him. Jinyoung takes off his glasses and runs a hand through his hair, deciding that he was done with studying for the day. “Sorry we couldn’t hang out today. I needed to help my sister earlier today _and_ tend to my boyfriend,” he laughs. 

 

Mark waves him off, “It’s fine,” he assures the dark haired boy. “Is this meeting important? Jaebeom seems a little stressed.” 

 

Jaebeom clears his throat, and everyone’s attention shifts. “We’ve been doing a great job with practices, lately. I can really see all of your improvement as the weeks go by, and I can see how hard you all have been working.

 

“That being said, the competition is only a few weeks away. Jinyoungie and I have been considering costumes for us to wear for the dance. I, for one, don’t dress very well, according to Jinyoung.” Everyone laughs, and Jaebeom continues. “So we’re going appoint one of you guys to pick out clothes for us.”

 

Bambam immediately raises his hand, and Jackson makes a noise at the Thai boy. “No. Bam is not picking outfits for us,” Jackson protests. “I’m sorry, we all don’t have chopstick legs like him.”

 

“Why do you always say that?” Bambam whines, crossing his arms. “You don’t always have to be so mean, Jackson.” 

 

“It’s true,” Jackson responds, walking over to the younger boy and standing in front of him. “Have you seen my legs? They’re literally like, three times the size as yours. I would never fit into your tiny pants.”

 

Bambam lets out another whine, and Jinyoung can’t take it anymore. “Listen up,” Jinyoung says, his voice echoing though the dance room. Jackson and Bambam are suddenly quiet. Jinyoung begins to speak again. He looks over to Mark, who has been silent most of the time.

 

“Mark has a nice sense of style,” Jinyoung comments. “He’ll go with the both of you. Pick something that will match _all of us_.” 

 

Jackson and Bambam both let out loud groans, before the elder moves to sit next to the Thai boy to join his card game. Mark looks over at Jinyoung, who is running a hand through his dark hair. He walks over, a confused look on his face. “Do you really think that I’m fit to be picking out clothes? I barely know the style of the team, and—“

 

“Hyung,” Jinyoung cuts him off, giving him that eye crinkling smile that everyone falls for. “Don’t worry, you’ll be fine. I just want you to go with them and make sure they get things done, you know?” Mark lets out a quiet noise. He was always a worrywart, but things almost always worked out, so he really shouldn’t be afraid

 

He’ll just have to see how everything will work out. 

 

»»—————————————««

 

Mark was always looking for new ways to find solitude. The stress of school and his not-so-great home life took a toll on him and left him exhausted most days. Especially with the work load that he das this week, he really needed a moment to decompress and clear his mind. 

 

Mark got off the train at a different station than usual, but it was still familiar to him. The sun was just starting to set, the sky colored with several hues of yellow, orange, and pink. It’s a quiet area of Seoul, the hustle and bustle of daily life not affecting the small town that he’s in. He enjoys it, really, and the people riding their bikes on the shared road really set the mood for what he’s about to do.

 

The cemetery isn’t far from the train station, really. He comes here often, so much so that the members of the cemetery staff already know him well. They greet him with warm smiles all the time, which seems a little contradictory considering where they work. He understands that it’s all to be polite, though, so he doesn’t ever question it. 

 

Mark walks through the winding pathway of the cemetery, his body basically working on autopilot. He’s been here many times before, almost too many that he’d admit. There’s something endearing about the color of the sky, or the way the soft breeze tousles his hair. Maybe it’s the sound of the birds that sing as Mark walks by— it was something different every time. 

 

Mark finally gets to where he’s headed; a small gravestone in the middle of one of the cemeteries fields. He kneels down, letting his knees touch the soft grass as he makes himself comfortable. He lets out a sigh as he relaxes.

 

He’s at his mother’s grave. 

 

Mark’s mother died when he was about seven years old. Something about a surgery gone wrong, or a sickness that was incurable. When Mark was young, he heard different variations of the story, he doesn’t even know what’s real now. What he does know, however, is how close he was to his mother.

 

They had great memories together. Mark remembers when his mother used to help him with his homework in the states, or when they went to the local amusement park in their hometown. He would be lying if he said that he didn’t think about her everyday. The two of them were inseparable while he was growing up. 

 

He misses her a lot. 

 

He pulls out the small bouquet of flowers that in his backpack, the quiet crinkling of the plastic around them filling the silence. He peels the plastic off, stuffing it back into his bag to throw away later and puts the bouquet in the flower holder that’s in front of the small headstone.

 

“Hi mom,” Mark speaks in English after he puts the flowers in the cup. He sits back against his feet, getting a little more comfortable and sitting cross-legged on the grass. He sits in silence for a moment, letting the gentle breeze brush against his skin while he finds the words to say. 

 

“Sorry I haven’t been visiting much. I’ve been so busy with school, and my home life with dad isn’t that great,” Mark admits, letting out an awkward laugh. “Anyway, I wanted to tell you how I’ve been lately. School’s been rough. I missed like, two days and now I’m drowning in homework,” Mark laughs. “You were always there to help me with my homework. I could use it right about now.”

 

“I found out Jackson is on the dance team.You remember him, right?” He asks, leaning back against the grass. “He told me that I ‘didn’t seem interested’ in the dance team. Can you believe he said that?” Mark asks as a bubble escapes his lips. He lets out a quiet sigh as he feels himself starting to calm down a little. “Bambam is on the dance team, too. I don’t think you remember him very well, but he transferred from Thailand when we came to Korea. It’s nice hanging out with them.”

 

“I’ve been happier lately,” Mark finally admits to his mother. “I don’t now what it is. There’s been drama with dad, but despite that, I’ve been happy at school. My friends are really nice, and they are always making sure that I’m doing okay.” Mark is silent for a few moments before he speaks. “But I’m happy. I know you’d be happy, too.”

 

Mark sits in silence for as moment, letting the moments he’s spending with his mother really sink in. After several minutes, he stands, brushing off the small blades of grass that decided to stick to his clothes. He looks up at the sky, and it’s already dark out, the pinks and yellows now changed to a deep blue with faint shades of orange. 

 

“I’m gonna head home, mom,” Mark says, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “I’ll come back soon, I promise. Maybe I’ll be Jackson or something next time. He’d be really happy to see you,” Mark lets out a laugh before turning on his heel. He steps back onto the walking path before turning back to look at his mother’s headstone.

 

“I love you, mom.”

 

»»—————————————««

 

Mark’s school life changes after he starts hanging out with the dance team. Usually, during the lunch break, Mark will stay in the library and work on homework assignments or study for an upcoming test. But now that he knew the entire dance ream, Jinyoung had insisted that they begin hanging out with the team in order to strengthen their bond. Mark didn’t have any objections, he liked the dance team a lot, and he wouldn’t mind getting to know Jaebeom or Youngjae better.

 

And Yugyeom, but he wouldn’t admit it.

 

Mark is currently sitting on the dance team’s lunch table. Jinyoung is sitting next to his boyfriend, mentioning something about a homework assignment that he’s been working on for the past few days. Jackson is yelling about something to Bambam next to him, and Youngjae is trying to show Mark something that’s on his phone. Mark’s trying to listen, he really is, but something is totally catching his attention. 

 

Mark doesn’t mean to, he really doesn’t. He can’t help but steak glances at Yugyeom, watching everything that he does. He watches as he picks at his lunch with his metal chopsticks, almost blushing at the way he wraps his lips around the end of them as he brings his food towards his mouth. He studies the way that Yugyeom’s delicate fingers wrap around the ends of his chopsticks before he feels a nudge on his arm.

 

“Hyung, are you even listening?” Youngjae’s voice breaks Mark out of his trance, and shakes his head slightly as he bins his attention back to the younger.

 

“Sorry, Youngjae,” Mark apologizes, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. “I must’ve started zoning out,” he tries to save himself, hoping that no one caught him staring at Yugyeom.

 

“No you weren’t,” Bambam says suddenly, pointing the end of his chopsticks in Mark’s direction. “You we’re totally staring at Gyeomie, we could see you.”

 

Yugyeom looks up at the mention of is name, an adorable confused look on his face as his eyes dart around the group. “Huh?” He says, his eyebrows raising. “What about me?”

 

Before Mark can interfere and make up a lie, Bambam beats him to it. “Mark-hyung was staring at you,” he says casually, putting his attention back to his lunch. “He was going to try and deny it just now, but he totally was.”  


Yugyeom turns his attention to Mark. “You were looking at me?” He asks, before putting his hands to his face. “Why? Do I look weird?” He asks, and he’s suddenly patting his face. “Is there something on my face?”

 

Mark shakes his head, and he suddenly regrets staring at Yugyeom for as long as he did. “There’s nothing on your face, Yugyeom,” Mark tells him, laughing a little awkwardly. “I didn’t mean to stare, I’m sorry,” he tells the younger, who just laughs in response.

 

“It’s okay, hyung,” Yugyeom tells him, then he _smiles_ and Mark can feel his heart skip a beat. “Just as long as there’s nothing wrong,” he tells him, before going back to eating and chatting with Jackson at the same time.

 

Mark makes a note in his mind to yell at Bambam for exposing him.

 

 

 


End file.
